Southport Education Group, Southport
Southport Education Group is a post-16 school for pupils aged 16 to 99 in Southport. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Southport Education Group in detail
Southport Education Group in its own words
Coming up: an open evening on Monday 23 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 11 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Sefton
Source: The school's own website
Where pupils go next
Of the 844 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 31% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 35% into work. 4% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Southport Rail Station, about 330 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
23 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wright Street (adjacent), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 360 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Sefton (165), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE destination measures; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Reasonable
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The college has made significant progress in supporting its learners, particularly through stable staffing and strong pastoral care. Teachers and coaches work closely with students to identify and remove barriers to attendance and achievement, using a supportive approach that prioritizes student wellbeing. The college provides excellent careers guidance and pathways, helping both young people and adults progress to higher education or employment.
Key Strengths
- Significant improvements in staff retention and stability, particularly in health and social care, reducing disruption to learner progress
- Strong careers support and guidance for adults and apprentices through careers fairs, online hub and specialized team support
- Effective use of starting point assessments to plan challenging curriculums, with regular monitoring of apprentice progress
- High attendance rates in engineering trades achieved through staff expectations and removing barriers to attendance
- Improved apprenticeship quality through stricter employer standards and reduced early leaving rates
Areas for Improvement
- Attendance to English and mathematics lessons remains low despite improvements
- Too few students achieving the highest grades relative to their prior attainment, though it is too early to see full impact of improvement actions
- Attendance at KGV campus lessons still needs to improve
- Achievement rates in apprenticeships decreased slightly in 2023/24, though showing recovery in current year
Extracurricular Activities
Careers fairs, online careers hub, Compete mobile app with podcasts on business and financial topics, university open days
Southport Education Group is a medium-sized further education college with two campuses offering vocational, technical and academic courses to young people and adults. The college was previously judged to require improvement and this monitoring visit evaluated progress on key areas for development.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Sixth Form Performance (A-Level)
A-Level Results
C-
Average grade
27.5
Points per entry
C-
Best 3 A-Levels
3%
Achieving AAB+
Below average
Value added
289
A-Level students
87%
Retention rate
2024/25 academic year
A-Level Subjects Offered
+ 9 more subjects
2024/25 academic year - entries by number of students
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 844 students
2023/24 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
4%
Top-third university
44%
Degree course
46%
Any L4+ destination
1%
Apprenticeships
Based on 520 students completing 16-18 study
2022/23 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
Keep up with Southport Education Group
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 60
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 16
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 60 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 16 serious and 44 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
11 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Sefton is 16 (the median across 116 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Southport
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southport
Across Sefton council
Places available
3,321
Applications
2,791
Got 1st preference
89.0%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All secondary applications across Sefton council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(16)
Further education and skills inspection
Questions parents ask about Southport Education Group
What is Southport Education Group's Ofsted rating?
Southport Education Group's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Southport Education Group?
No fixed boundary. When Southport Education Group is oversubscribed, Sefton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to Southport Education Group?
Apply through Sefton's coordinated admissions process, naming Southport Education Group on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Southport Education Group?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 60 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 16 serious and 44 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 11 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Sefton is 16 (the median across 116 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Southport Education Group?
Southport Education Group is at Mornington Road, Southport, Merseyside, PR9 0TT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)